Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-02
NEW YORK LETTER.
REV. YEARS. CHI. CHAT FROM 90.
THAMT0wH.
Good Stories Of Amateurs-rn Relation to
Gail Hamilton-society Dots
Personals.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dispatch,

Correspondence Of the Richmond DispatcnJ
NEW YORK, January I, 1887.
| Thir seasons crop OF amateur actors aud
actresses Ia very fair one. The pressure
! for places fer stage-struck heroines on the
| professional stage. however, is much less
| eped. In years passed theatrical agencies
| have been jammed with men and women
suffering from theatrical fever. Many OF
them were wealthy and were willing TO
| pay literally 10 DO put on the roaG to fame.
| The most OF them have appeared before the
| footlights as amateurs. lnnsted by the
| enthusiastic praises OF friends aud ac-
| qpaintapces VINO Lad heard them rant aud
| seen them strut In private entertainments,
| they were convinced that the world at
| large Was waiting 10 receive them with
| open arms. The success OF Mary Anderson
telyes epaDle OF achieving similar histri
onic triunphs. and were willing to spend
| the last ceot they had In making the Of
| fort. Mart. Hanley, manager OF Harrigan's
PaJk Theatre, tells some Interesting stories
OF such aspirants Seven or eight years ago
he mspaged theatrical agency in TINS
city. One day girl, beautiful as an houri
visited his Office, accompanied by her mo-
Their. Incited by the rapturous applause
bestowed on her In private theatricAls and
by the predictions OF her friends sue
determined TO appear In public. She was
rich, and passionsteIy fond OF the stage
nd she i'm pioIed bar. Hsnley 10 secure her
an engagement. He tried hard to dispsl
the glamour, but she was importunate. and
Mr.'h8nley was either too good natured or
too much impressed with her beauty TO re-
fuse her. Against the protest OF nor partner
he got 10. SOtbern 10 take an interest In
her and she was cast for q minor part IN
The American Cousin" All she had TO do
was 10 skip over the stage and repeat two
lines. Mr. Ha1ley's announcement thrilled
Der with ecstacy. On the spur OF the Joyful
intelligence she ordered 81 900 worth OF
Dresses sD spent as UGH more In jewelry.
The eventful night came at Abbey's Park
Theatre. at the cue she tripped upon the
Stage as lightly as q fawn. bat the glare OF
the footlights and the sea OF shirt. fronts
and fashionable bonnets beyond dumb.
founded her strangers and not personal
friends were criticisiDg her. She was
tongue tied. Not WORD could she either
dszed TO repeat the lines even when pro
nonnced by the prompter with an intona-
ton so clear that IL could be heard by the
whole house. with tanning cheeks she lied
from the stage. IRE Sothern could see and
ieassure her she had thrown her seal-skin
cloak over Der shoulders and left the thea
tie In dismay. mot three weeks ago."
SAID Mr. Haniey. 81 saw her here enjoying
Hsrrigsns performance, She is happily
married, and she blushed as she recalled
her first and only public appearance"
ApTOpOs OF this, Mr.. HaDley tells q second
story regarding the first and only appear
snce on the stage Of well-known Pitts
burgh editor IL was in Biddle Hall. De-
troit many years ago Hanley's company
Was playing 1.-The Wept OF the Wish-ton-
Mlbn.F III ~ n DECENTRALIZATION OI tOOptT
novel, filled with Indians, British soldiers,
and provincial scouts. One night two young
men visited the manager and importuned
i'm for an engagement. They were sue
cessful as amateurs. and were anxious TO
follow the trail so clearly bezed by Edwin
Forrest. The talleEt of the two was 30 conf
dent In his ability to fire the world that he
was enrolled for the next evenings per-
Torrance. He appeared in the uniform OF
q British spy-big top boots, cooked hat, and
an enormous feather. He was 10 strike an
attitude ON getting his cue point with his
finger. and cry, Look, Captain, look Here
runs the line along the wsinseot. Look,
Captain, look |"
Meantime he was 10 follow the line and
suddenly fall through trap door, Every
thing went smoothly until the amateur
struck an altitude. Then litter ran
through the audience. IL discoacerted the
ambitious young man. His memory be.
came o vapor, and his tongue renal ed
glueo 10 the roOfof his mouth. The Utter
Increased to roar OF laughter. aud the
amateur WAS paraly zed. He lost memory,
voice, and the power OF locomOtion. the
captain showed him along until he stood
upon the trap door, when girl In the cos
'ume OF squaT struck him with club
and he went through the floor like magic.
Nor DID be reappear. Mr.. Hanley sought
for him in vain. He never even called at
the dressing room for his clothing The
conclusion OF the story is best told IN Han
ley's own words
''seven years afterwards" he said. al
s'eered the Standard Theatre Company
into Pittsburgh. We got tnGe after mid
night. | went over TO the GCt&ue Office and
inquired for my old friend Tommy Houston.
the city editor. 'Houston's out said gen
ileman who was seated in Tommy's chair. |
Sit down, Mr. Hanleyi ,o,,
and always come to see him when I'm
here, Tell him called
asst down, Hanley,' he repeated 'pve |
met you before myself. Did you ever play |
Il looked at him closely" Hsnley con.
tlnued, "snd the whole scene came DacE TO |
me like flash. He was the British spy. |
Look, Captain. look, said. Here runs
the line along the wainscot'
"The man laughed most heartily. THAT
was me- he said. u never stopped when |
landed In that cellar. but run nome In fuu-l
uniform. You cured me. Mart. See nov
I've got along. Only for you wouldn't be |
here
He did me credit" Hanley concluded, |
"for ne is now editor and first proprietor OF |
the Pittsburgh TELEGRAM"
IN RELATION TO GAIL HAMILTON AND |
OTHER WOMEN.
Gail Hamiltons emergence into the field |
OF metropolitan journalism after long |
hfgiTa TO the provinces recalls some curious |
memories OF this gifted controyersiaiist's |
patt when she took her now famous nom |
&c plume IL WAS with the idea that her sex |
and her identity as woman and plain 1
Abigail Dodge, OF Hamilton, Mass, would |
be Theoretically masked for all time. She |
scOfned all feminine weaknesses and |
wished TO pass In her writings for man.
Her intimate friends among women ire
quentiy suffered from her unbending pre- |
juoices Once Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, |
who lives in Andover. In Calls own State, |
was cordially invited TO make this red0u )t- !
able oman q visit. The famed spinster OF |
Gates n iarp celebrity had for her alter ego |
at that time q 70 ithful setter dog, TO which |
size as devoted. 81 will come TO Hamii- |
ton pext week with my dog Ralph" wrote |
You will come without any nonsense,
and by yourself wIole back the objective. |
Gail Miss Phelps stay ed away with her /
Cog and Hamilton has never known her |
since. But Gail with her silk stocking |
bightiness bad her soft spots and, about |
this time. she had what may be called
psychological affinity for o young Bostonian |
something ike twenty years her Junior.
This young gentlema was known In Bos'
ton as somewhat precoclous fMerdtenr.
and posed in his day as the Archibald |
GrosVenor OF the time, with his aesthetic |
fads," his pat verses TO order, ana his
twenty n aidens. Gall had never seen any
thing Ike this bS fore, and GrosyenOr
was made very welcome at the old house
vi Hamilton. 10 the dlsmay and mortihca-
about this time. too that Gall had her
~ IN Gus quarrel with James +. Fields. She
claimed that he and Osgood had tricked her
out OF her just dues In copyrights. and she
SOI eOub llOlh icitiCco NJ bh--
time SO when Grosvenor was enthroned
she actually turned the portrait or the
authUr-publlsher Fields face to the wall.
and hung up the new god in conspicuous
place. The twain had such tete. d-tefes and
81 mposia as staid Hamilton had never seen
before. and once when Tire gallant cavalier
stayed too late. and fell down a flight OF
steps In the darkness, hurrying for the last
train, there was scene at the old home
stead that has never yet been and never
will be recorded In any OF Calls published
annals.
No one who estimates Gall Hamilton from
her books can form any adequate idea OF
her extraordinary charms Is converse
tionalist and rdcOnteur.
Washington. perhaps, knows something |
OF her surpassipg social gifts, but save In
the sacred shrine OF her own Preside they
have never been disclosed In full splendor
THE WEEK IN SOCIETY.
With the coming OF the new year the
Hitherto IL has been dull beyo nd precedent.
no divorce but that Of Mrs. Lawrence Hop
kins has RULED IL. No Opponents are re-
ported from Cannes or Pau. Everything |
has been ktupidly regular, splendidly null.
But the balls or the past week have re-
vesle d q transformation In the social fabric.
Till now Mrs. William AstOr and Mrs. Au.
gust Belmont have been the recognized
leaders of fashion. They would appear at
the dances with q covy OF pretty girls In
their uain; would sit on the dais OF the
dOwagers and seoately watch their charges
would receive the condolences OF young
lovers. would arrange excellent matches
and would never leave the ball room while